Disorders of Attention

This is the fourth book in the Neural Network series. It proposes an entirely new model for assessing and understanding how issues with attention are manifested. Currently, most individuals with deficit in attentional functioning are labeled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This is because the current nosology is behaviorally driven and the target behavior for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the end stage global behavior, attention. The use of this nosology results in a large number of related but neuroanatomically different issues, from a neural network perspective, being lumped together. This results in a homogenous approach to the treatment of a heterogeneous cluster of problems and impedes research into the actual underlying network properties of specific forms of attentional problems.

This book reviews and summarizes the current cognitive neuroscience regarding how attention is regulated in the human brain. It then details the various networks and processes that comprise attention and for each of these, details what could, and does, go wrong. This leads to a discussion of clinical assessment of these as yet unidentified disorders and recommendations for research and treatment.

The book also has sections on the cognitive neuroscience of attention, models of attentional processing, a description of the neural networks involved in attention and a discussion of specific problems that arise when these network components fail to do their job correctly.

The result of this work is a complete reformulation of the existing construct of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder which, in its current form, represents a plethora of disruptions of a multitude of attentional processes. The work challenges existing conceptual modeling and offers a new model for diagnosis and treatment, continuing to extend the authors' work in blending clinical neuroscience into the clinical practice of neuropsychology.

Explains how neural networks operate to control behavior and cognition Will improve the ability to diagnose and treat disorders of attention Argues for a redefinition of the concept of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Auteur

Dr. Ted Wasserman has authored five books and over 50 peer referenced articles on a variety of topics in neuropsychology and clinical psychology. Along with Lori Wasserman, he is the co-editor of the Neural Network series for Springer nature Publishing. This series uses neural network modeling to explain important issues in clinical neuropsychological practice. The most recent works have modeled motivation and apraxia.

Dr. Wasserman, a pediatric Neuropsychologist, licensed in the State of Florida, completed his doctorate at Hofstra University in 1974. His internship in pediatric neuropsychology was completed at North Shore University Hospital, Long Island, New York. His Post-Doctoral training was completed in cognitive behavior therapy at the Institute For Advanced Study Of Rational Psychotherapy in New York City. Dr. Wasserman is in private practice in Boca Raton, Florida. He sees children from the ages of 0-18, with a full range of medical and developmental anomalies. He is particularly interested in attentional and learning disorders and their impact on school function, Autism, and Asperger's, atypical developmental delays, seizures, and traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Wasserman was the co-founder and past president of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology. He was formerly the section chief of Psychology at St. Mary's Medical Center Trauma Service and the Nicklaus Children's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr. Lori Wasserman has authored five books and over 20 peer referenced articles on a variety of topics in neuropsychology and clinical psychology. Along with Ted Wasserman, she is the co-editor of the Neural Network series for Springer Nature Publishing. This series uses neural network modeling to explain important issues in clinical neuropsychological practice. The most recent works have modeled motivation and apraxia.

Dr. Wasserman holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and certification in School Psychology. She both completed her internship and remained at the Astor Day Treatment Center for a total of 10 years, working with learning disabled and emotionally impacted children who had been expelled from special education. Dr. Wasserman relocated to Florida in 1988, leading multi-disciplinary teams in the neurodevelopmental assessment of infants and toddlers through the Early Intervention Program for children between the ages of birth and five.

Dr. Wasserman is a Fellow of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology and is a past and current member of the board on American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology.

Dr. Wasserman is currently in private practice in Boca Raton. Her practice provides clinical and neuropsychological assessment for children through young adults. Although originally trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, her practice utilizes a combination of cognitive behavior therapy and neuropsychological principles which she and her partner and co-author have termed Neurocognitive Learning Theory.

Contenu

Introduction.- Models of Attention.- Do all disorders of attention result in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?.- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: genetics, neural networks and other factors.- Neural Networks of Attention.- Top- Down, Bottom-Up Attentional Processing.- Attentional Control.- Attention and The Role of the Reward Recognition Network.- Salience.- Working memory.- Emotional Dysregulation and Attention.- Toward a Spectrum of Attention Disorders.